The Moment
And there he stood. Alone, heart-broken, in the middle of Beika Park on the verge of crying because the only person he loved more than anything didn't even try to understand him.
Earlier that day, Shinichi Kudo stood in front of his big mirror in the bathroom, grinning and euphorically happy that he finally managed to take down the Black Organization. Today's the day, he thought. Today he was going to confess everything to Ran. The whole damn story. Silently hoping she would understand and jump into his arms, just being happy he was back . Not caring that he was the little boy who lived with her for nearly 3 years. Today's the day, he grinned. Strangely confidant that she would accept it and just love him for who he was because he was sure that she loved him, she told him the first day she met Conan after all.
He arranged everything. Everything was going to be perfect tonight. In his mind he was rehearsing how he would tell her the best way he could, without hurting her and with the best he could manage to not make her cry.
Ok, first we'll go to the movies, relax a bit. Then we'll go to dinner at the finest restaurant in Beika city and then we'll go for a stroll in the park. I'll tell her there, he thought. Little did she know about the beautiful ring in his right pocket. God, the ring.. As he carefully examined the ring in its case, he realized for the umpteenth time that he really loved her. That made him wonder if she loved him just as much. Of course she does, he thought. It was now 7:20, so he went to pick her up.
At 7:30 sharp he stood at her door excited and ready for whatever came. He knocked and she opened the door smiling, happy that he was finally back. He smiled back, of course, stunned by her general beauty. She wore a royal blue summer dress which, he noted, did a pretty awesome job at accentuating her stunning blue eyes and her feminine curves. Her long, chocolate brown hair done and her face flawless as always. Man, how can a girl look THAT beautiful ?! , he thought.
'Hey' , she said smiling at him.
'Hi', he replied smiling and partially grinning back.
'You look breathtaking', he said.
'Thanks, you look quite handsome yourself, Shinichi', she replied with a light blush.
And with a 'Bye Dad! There's food in the microwave, please behave yourself and try not to make too much noise!', and a 'Bye, old man', they left for the movies.
'What movie do you want to see, Ran?', Shinichi asked slightly nervous. He turned to look at her and was once again mesmerized by her. She was looking up at the starry night with a happy expression on her face. He smiled lightly, himself happy that he was back. She, then, looked at him but didn't answer. She watched him, convinced that in those three years his features slightly changed. His shoulders were definitely broader and his face was a little sharper. His gorgeous eyes, where she would always lose herself in, were, if she dare say, a brighter blue and his lips were just simple irresistible. While looking at his lips, she blushed and shook her head in attempt to stop thinking about them.
I do hope he kisses me tonight though, she thought blushing.
He noticed the way she blushed and looked at him and he smiled THAT smile. The smile that made her knees feel weaker. The smile made just for her. Then out of nowhere he took her hand. Stunned, she looked at their entwined hands and then at him, trying to read his eyes in attempt to find emotions and the reason. And she was mildly shocked and oh so pleased to see love in his eyes. Love for her. Geez, does he have to look so handsome?, she thought. But she smiled shyly back, letting his hand hold hers until they were at the movies.
They watched a movie of her choice. It was a good movie, although they both weren't really paying attention to the movie. If you know what I mean.
After the movies they went to eat. They talked, laughed, whispered, smiled, teased. Just like the old days but with another touch to it. As if they wanted to show it without words that they loved each other to no end. During dinner his hand slid countless time in his pocket, grasping the ring case, considering the possibility to ask her to marry him now. He had two choices which were now or later. After some time of consideration he chose for the latter.
After dessert Shinichi paid and within a few minutes they left.
'Hey, listen, do you want to go for a stroll in the park?', he asked.
'Sure!', she answered.
And they walked, holding hands in a comfortable silence. Suddenly Ran spoke.
'Shinichi….', she softly said.
He looked at her, his face answering the unspoken yes.
'Thank you, I really enjoyed tonight with you. You really didn't have to do so much effort.', she blushed.
'Naah, don't worry about it! I wanted to do that much effort', he said smiling at her.
'No, I mean it…..', a moment passed, '… It's been three years since we actually did something together. I can't grasp it. Three years is so long. I....missed you so much….'. She said shyly, suddenly finding her summer coat very interesting.
He stopped walking, not really realizing they had arrived at the park and were nearing a bench to sit down. He turned to look at her, still standing, touched by her last words. He stepped closer to her, took her right hand and leaned closer to her face, touching her left cheek with his other hand. When their faces were 2 inches apart he stopped. She blushed and looked into his blue eyes in trance. And then he whispered softly, barely understandable but loud and clear for her, 'I missed you too, Ran. I missed you so much.'
They looked at each other, neither of them taking a step back from their current position. God, how much did they enjoy standing that close to each other. But of course no-one saying it out loud.
Feeling bold at the moment, he whispered, 'I might kiss you…'. On which she answered while biting her lower lip, 'I might be bad at it…'.
He smiled, softly chuckled even, at her sweetness. He stepped closer, eyes focused on her full rosy lips. His arms finding their way to her waist. Her arms finding their way to his neck. He looked up to her eyes and was shocked as well as happy at what he saw. He saw want, need, lust… for him.
Considering it as a permission he brushed his lips to hers. Feeling a weird, pleasurable electricity they pulled back slightly, smiling. Not being able to contain himself anymore he smashed his lips onto hers. Kissing her gently and slowly, still not entirely sure on whether she really wanted him of not. But when she kissed him back, something snapped. He began kissing her with a passion that made her lose feeling in her legs and made her lean on him for support. Support that he was extremely happy to give her. Smiling against their kiss, Shinichi decided to deepen it. Brushing his tongue over her lower lip in request, he was surprised at how fast she opened her mouth. After a while they had to come up for air. So they slowly parted.
Shinichi was the first one to recover. He opened his eyes, looking tenderly at her face, at her expression and still closed eyes. Giving her a small smile as she opened her eyes.
'I love you', he whispered.
She looked at him stunned, not knowing how to react at his confession although she knew she loved him just as much. When she came back to her senses, she giggled, burying her head in the angle of his neck, shaking it and smiling in the most adorable way possible. He laughed and held her in return. Knowing what she meant.
'I love you', she suddenly whispered back after a minute or two.
He felt as if he woke up on top of the world at that moment. Tightening his hold on her possessively, he pressed his cheek on her head and closed his eyes. Inhaling her scent and taking in her features. Savoring the tender moment. After a while they broke apart. He looked at her in thoughts. I have to tell her now, she'll understand, I feel it, he thought. So he did.
'Ran, I have to tell you something, but please, just promise to hear me out before you say anything, ok?', he said with a light smile and a nervous face.
'Ok…. What is it?', she asked, ready to listen. Slightly scared at what he had to say. Damn her and her sixth sense.
'Ran, I need to tell you something that I kept from you for the last three years. I know I shouldn't have kept it from you but please believe me when I say I did it for your own good. For your safety….', he sighed. Ran frowned at him. As if deep down inside she already knew what he was going to say but just waited for him to tell her.
'I'm….', he suddenly stopped, hesitating. What if she'll hate me?, he thought panicking, shifting his gaze to the ground. No, I can't let her live in the dark, if she finds out from someone else instead of me she'll certainly hate me, he thought again, encouraging himself. When he felt ready he looked up only to see her frowning and slightly uncomfortable. But then he finally said it, after 3 agonizing years of secrets and lying. 'I'm Conan, Ran.'
He watched her look at him, he watched as her eyes grew wide. Her eyes looked away briefly and then back into his eyes. Her eyes somehow pleading to take his words back.
'What?', she whispered stepping back a little.
'I can explain, please just hear me out', he said. Hoping she wouldn't run away of something.
She stood still, waiting for him to continue. Standing a safe distance from him, suddenly feeling used. Her eyes showing clearly she felt betrayed and hurt. Sighing he began explaining. When it happened, why it happened, why he did what he did, explaining he did it to protect her because he loved her more than anything in the world.
'Who knew?', she asked in a strange cold way.
'Euhm, Hattori, Prof. Agasa and Ai…', he replied.
She turned her head away, not wanting to look into his eyes for a moment. Her face turned cold, expressionless. She watched the lake nearby and the ducks swimming through the water. Thinking of what he just told her. She turned her eyes back to him, her head still facing the lake. Watching him look at her, scared. She figured he was scared for what will happen next. Turning her face to him too, she answered, 'So…. Instead of telling me first, you went and told everyone else your biggest secret and left me in the dark.' Smiling a small, extremely cold smile. Tilting her head a little to the left, daring him to answer.
'No, it's not like I wanted them to know. Prof. Agasa knew because I went to him for help the day they shrunk me. Ai, as you know, came later and she knew because she invented the drug and Hattori just figured it out all by himself.' , he answered in his defense.
'Oh really now? Hattori figured it out all by himself, huh? I wonder why you didn't try to fool him. What, because he's a detective just like you? I asked you countless times if you were Conan and you just lied right in my face!', she said in a calm, hurt but very angry voice.
As he tried to open his mouth to say something, she interrupted, 'No, don't you even try to get yourself out of this. You lied when I figured it out as well. How could you, Shinichi? Am I not enough for you to trust? I trusted you, and most importantly I thought you trusted me too. But sure, I'm JUST a childhood friend, right? Why the hell would you trust a stupid girl like me, who believed the lies of a not so innocent little boy who just happened to be my freaking childhood friend, a boy who lived under my roof and took advantage of everything I offered?!'
'No Ran, please try to understand I…….', he tried to say but again she interrupted.
'NO!!', she yelled, shaking her head and raising her index finger as a sign of warning. 'Don't even dare telling me to TRY to understand!! YOU should understand. What kind of friend are you? Are you even my friend? Who knew you were a friend who turned his back on his best friend the moment something happens?'
'Ran, please..', he tried. Looking at her, scared she would leave him without looking back.
She shook her head. Looking back at the beautiful lake trying to calm herself down. Arms crossed, refusing to let him see the hurt and disappointment in her eyes and face. Absolutely refusing to let one single tear fall. He saw me cry over him too much already, she thought bitterly.
As he took one step closer, she turned her eyes back to him, her head giving a sharp shake, saying in a very angry voice, 'Don't even think about it'. Arms still crossed and looking at him angrily.
He stood there, lowering his head to look at his feet. Unable to look into her eyes and scared to death of losing her. Damn it, he never expecting it to turn out like this! Why did it turn out like this? Why.. Why doesn't she understand? Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted by a cold chuckle. Looking at her face again, somewhere hoping she was chuckling in order to forgive him. But he thought wrong.
'You know what? It seems to me you managed to do fine without my help or even my presence for that matter. I hope my house was enough for you to take advantage of. Guess you enjoyed having your own personal maid, huh?....... And to think you actually ASKED me several times to wait for you, and to think that I was so stupid to actually wait. Well, I hope you'll find another maid to make fun of. I'm done.' She said bitterly.
'Ran, NO, it wasn't like that, damn it, didn't you listen at anything I said, Do you think I wanted to …..', he said angrily.
'I SAID I'M DONE', she shouted.
'I don't want you to come near me anymore, Shinichi. You hurt me and indirectly insulted me in every possible way and I won't take that anymore. Don't you dare try to reason with me.', and with that, she walked away. Out of his life.
And there he stood. Alone, heart-broken, in the middle of Beika Park on the verge of crying because the only person he loved more than anything didn't even try to understand him.
The next day at school was hell. He tried to talk to Ran, but she ignored him. Whenever he even made an attempt at calling her name, she would glare, turn her head and walk the complete opposite direction. She didn't even WANT to talk to him anymore.
A month passed. Heart-broken, he sat in class, beating himself up. He wished he would have never ran after those men. He wished he stayed with Ran at Tropical Land, having fun. He began cursing his curiosity, he began hating it. And little did he know that Ran watched him from time to time from the other side of the classroom. Maybe I should go to him?..... NO, geez, Ran, get a grip! He hurt you!! He's a cold-hearted jerk who didn't even try to trust you!, she thought, looking away angrily.
Then one day, Shinichi was tired of it all, of the whole situation. He wanted to make an end to this. He still carried around her ring everywhere. Hoping that one day she would decide to come back to him but it never happened. Gathering up all his courage, he went to her desk.
' I need to talk to you, Ran, now.', he demanded. She looked up at him, glaring and refusing to answer. Her eyes daring him to talk in front of everybody and arrogantly knowing he would never embarrass himself in front of his fellow classmates.
'Ok, have it your way then', he said, reading her thoughts. 'I need to talk to you about a month ago, you remember, when we kissed and ……?', he said raising his voice angrily.
She suddenly interrupted him by standing up, facing him, shocked about what he just said in front of their whole class.
'What are you trying to do?!!', she shouted.
'I'm trying to talk to you, something I tried to do for a whole freaking month now and seriously, Ran, I'm growing tired of you ignoring me!!', he shouted back.
'Who the hell do you think you are? I said I was done!! Don't expect me to listen to your nonsense!!', Ran yelled coldly to him.
'Really? Tell me Ran, what would you have done, huh? WHAT would you have done if you were in my shoes??!! I'd like to hear that!', Shinichi shouted again.
'I would have told you from the first moment I shru…….I JUST WOULD HAVE TOLD YOU!!!', she yelled, silently relieved she didn't slip Shinichi's secret in front of the whole class. Their faces were now, like a month ago, 2 inches apart. Both breathing heavily. Staring into each others eyes, challenging each other. The whole class, including the teacher, was looking at them puzzled. What in the world were they talking about?........ Euhm, Did Kudo really say they kissed?...
'No, you wouldn't have, Ran. Knowing the danger you were in, you wouldn't have just to protect me. And that's what I did!! I protected you, Ran. Because I love you!', he harshly whispered.
'NO YOU DON'T!!!', Ran shouted. And began running out of the classroom heading for the school gates. Ready to run away from his words, those three beautiful words that made her heart jump and celebrate, though she stubbornly ignored it.
Without a second thought Shinichi started running after her, oblivious to the fact their whole class followed them outside.
'What do you mean I don't?', he asked angrily, out of breath. Damn it, how did she learn to run that fast?, he thought surprised.
'How can you even say that, Shinichi? You don't love me, you would have told me if you would have loved me. I cried for you, every night, I cried for you, hoping you were alright, stupidly hoping you would call me the next day, which you didn't. You don't love me!!', she shouted. Listening to her words, their entire class gasped, including Shinichi though he gasped for another reason. She began walking away through another group of students from their same year, who parted into two groups to let her pass.
Reaching into his pocket, he took out the ring case containing the ring and stepped a few steps closer, shouting. 'How can you say I don't love you, Ran? You know what… Ok, be the stubborn pain in the ass you always are. It won't make me stop loving you because I DO love you, Ran. I do love you whatever you might think. ', he stopped with a broken voice. Tears welling up in his eyes.
And there it was…. The Moment…
Everything went silent. The entire school body looking at this tender scene, wondering if this was really happening. She stopped and after a moment she turned around. Looking him in the eyes trying to stop her tears from falling. And Shinichi looking at her, trying to contain his own tears.
Everything went blank. It was just him and her… looking at each other. His hold tightening on the ring case. Hoping she would give in…. But nothing happened. Suddenly he approached her, happy that she didn't flinch. Again, for the 2nd time this day, gathering up his courage for what he was about to do.
'Here, I was going to give you this a month ago in the park the right way, with the right words….. But I might as well just give it to you now… '. He said in the saddest voice that possibly existed. Not to make her feel guilty, just because he really was sad. He then grabbed her hand and pushed it into her palm. Then he walked away, heart-broken all over again by her rejection.
She looked at his form getting smaller the farther he walked and then at the little case. When she opened it she gasped. She saw the most beautiful ring that ever existed.. to her. Shocked she looked up, at his retrieving form again and without thinking she began running to him.
'Shinichi…', Ran said in an emotional tone.
As if Shinichi heard that specific tone, although it was a little too far for him hear it, he turned his head to her only to see her run towards him. Not really sure why she was running to him, he turned around facing her. Waiting for her to reach him. When she did, she did something he didn't quite expect. She found her way around his neck and nearly hugged the life out of him whispering she was sorry, that she understood but was just too stubborn to admit it because she was hurt.
One of Shinichi's arms reached for her waist, the other for her head. His eyes closed, burying his fingers into her hair, while he held her closer. Holding her just as hard as she held him. Whispering in return that it was ok, that he understood too and that he loved her so much.
Meanwhile, the whole school was outside looking at the scene cheering and clapping that they finally made up and several flashes (of course coming from Sonoko's camera) were made.
When they parted, blushing, they looked around them. Stunned to see the amount of people watching at them.
The students eventually were forced to return to class and resume the lessons. So everyone went back to class except Ran and Shinichi, who were still looking at each other.
'I really do love you, Ran…', Shinichi said.
'I love you too Shinichi, I'm so sorry…', she replied, with happy tears in her eyes. 'And… I do, I do want to marry you'.
He smiled. Inching closer to give her a possessive kiss when they suddenly were interrupted, 'Kudo, Mouri, didn't I just tell you to go back to class?!', the principle said disapprovingly.
'YES SIR', they said in unison and hurried back to class, grinning stupidly.
A week after the scene, Shinichi and Ran walked into school hand in hand, talking softly when Sonoko came running to them.
'Heeeeeeey, look at this', she grinned, acting so Sonoko-like. She handed them her whole bundle of photo's where they actually saw themselves arguing and then making up. The whole freaking scene.
They both glared at Sonoko. 'SONOKOOOOO', Ran shouted, 'You're impossible, why would you even do such a thing', shaking her head disapprovingly.
'Whatever!!', she replied, rolling her eyes. 'You want them or not?', she asked again giggling.
Then Shinichi snatched them from Sonoko's grasp, glaring, mentioning something to Ran about better taking them with them just in case. Knowing Sonoko she would give those to the school press without a second thought.
When they entered the classroom everyone began laughing. Raising an eyebrow Shinichi asked, 'What?!'. Then when he turned his head, he saw today's Beika High Newspaper on a desk nearby displaying a picture of himself and Ran hugging and on top of that the biggest headliner possible, practically screaming at its reader, 'SHINICHI AND RAN, FINALLY TOGETHER.'
Seeing this, they both turned to Sonoko, fiercely blushing…….
'SONOKOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!'
A/N: And voila, here it is.. My very own first fic. Hope y'all liked it! ^^ xx